Chemical rectifier



T. M. LANE.

CHEMICAL mcmm APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1920.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

4 i2: AHHWTETUIV N H; I w v f jg We y i: l I: 5?}: i J 45: 2 H E :5 5: ilii E 5 if I w J W W 1 W x w THOMAS MARTIN LANE, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA.

CHEMICAL RECTIFIER.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

Application filed February 9, 1920. Serial No. 357,273.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs M. LANE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alameda, in the county of Alameda and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ChemicalRectifiers; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to chemical rectifiers, and morespecifically toan improved device for rectifying an alternating electric current.

One object of this invention is to generally improve upon devices ofthis character by taking advantage of the fact that an electric currentpasses with comparatively slight resistance from an ammonium-sulphatesolution or the like to an aluminum terminal submerged in the solutionand passes with far greater resistance from the aluminum to thesolution.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved form ofreceptacle or jar which is water-cooled and which constitutes anelectric current or conductor.

Other objects and advantages will be specifically pointed out or impliedin the following details of description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating my improvedreceptacle in ver tical section.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view through the middle portion of thereceptacle shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to these drawings in detail, in which similar referencecharacters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views,and in which a transformer of any appropriate form is designated by thenumeral, 1, and in which a storage battery 2 is shown merely toillustrate one of the numerous uses to which the device is applicable,the invention consists in the details of construction, arrangement andinherent characteristics hereinafter specified in detail as follows:

My improved receptacle 3 is formed mainly of iron or -othercomparatively good conducting material, the primarily open upper end ofthis jar bein closed by a cover 4 which is preferably arched, asillustrated,

and provided with a series of angular inwardly inclined ridges 5. Thejar 3 normally contains an electric conducting solution 6, preferably anammonium-sulphate solution, though an appropriate solution may beemployed. he ridges 5 are intended to divert the water of condensation,which accumulates on and flows down the arched inner surface of thecover 4, and causes it to drip into the middle part of the solutionssurface rather than run down the wall of the jar.

, The jar is water-cooled by means of a water-jacket 7 which extendsaround the inner wall 8, and this water-jacket also extends around apair of tubular insulator seats 9. In other words, the tubular seats 9connect the inner and outer walls of the receptacle, and the openingsthrough these ele ments 9 permit a pair of bushings or insulators 10 tobe inserted through this duplex wall of the receptacle. A pair ofapertured insulating members 11 is seated against the outer ends of theinsulating members 10, and a pair of conducting rods 12 is seated in theinsulators 10 and 11. A pair of aluminum plates or electric terminals 13is secured to the pair of rods 12. In other words, each plate 13 isconnected to and supported by one of the rods 12, and each rod 12extends through one of the insulators 10 and one of the insulators 11.Each insulator 10 combines with its insulator 11 to substantially form aunitary insulator, and two nuts 14 are screw-threaded respectively onthe rods 12, and each nut 14: substantially comprises a binding post towhich the terminals of an alternating current conductor are connected asshown diagrammatically. The alternating current conductor comprises inthe present instance a secondary coil 15, a lead 16 and a lead 17, theseleads being connected respectively to the binding posts at the outerends of the rods 12. A substantially direct current conductor 18 isconnected to one end of the battery 2, and a similar conductor 19 isconnected to a binding post 20, the latter being directly connected toand supported by the receptacle 3.

Therefore, when an impulse of electric current passes through the lefthand end of the coil 15 toward the conductor 18, this impulse causescurrent to flow in the direction indicated by the curved arrows, that isthrough the conductor 18, battery 2, conductor 19, binding post 20,receptacle 3 and thence to the left hand plate 13 through the medium ofthe solution 6. From this plate 13, the current passes out through theleft hand rod 12 and its binding post into the conductor 17. During theabove described flow of electric current, there is substantially nocurrent flowing through the conductor 16 and its connections with theright hand plate 13, owing to the fact previously mentioned that anelectric current passes with extreme difliculty or resistance from thesubmerged aluminum plate to the solution. In other words, the aluminumplates 13 control the electric current in a manner similar to that inwhich a check-valve controls the vflow of water, that is, permitting thewater of current is the same as previously described except that insteadof flowing from the solution to the left-hand plate 13 it now flows toand through the right-hand plate 13, and thence through the conductingelements 12, 14 and 16 back to the secondary coil 15.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that although theconducting elements 15, 16 and 17 carry an alternating current, theconductors 18 and 19 carry a direct pulsating current, and this currentpassing through the battery 2 charges the same, and is capable ofcarrying other loads than the battery.

In order that the temperature of the solution may be kept approximatelyat a predetermined degree, water may be kept circulating through thewater-jacket 7 by connecting the same to any appropriate water supplythrough the medium of an inlet 21 and an outlet 22. These inlet andoutlet members may be provided respectively with valves for regulatingthe flow or current of water. A drain-cock 23 is provided in the bottomof the receptacle, this drain-cock be ing preferably screw-threaded in atubular element 24 of the receptacle, and the waterjacket 7 surroundsthis tubular element.

Legs 25 are provided, so that the receptacle may be supported on a tableor other level surface regardless of the fact that its bottom isconcavo-convexed. Because of this formation of the bottom, a sump isformed thereby, so that the receptacle may be quickly and completelydrained.

Although I have described this embodiment of my invention veryspecifically, it is not intended to limit this invention to these exactdetails of construction, arrangement and material, but changes may bemade within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In an element for a chemical rectifier, the combination of areceptacle formed mainly of conducting material and having its wallprovided with openings in which insulators are seated, this receptaclebeing formed with a water-jacket which extends around the inner cavityand around said insulators and is provided with inlet and outletopenings connectable to a water supplying source in a manner to providea circuit of water through the water-jacket, a pair of aluminum platesin said inner cavity and spaced from one another, a pair of conductingrods each connected to and supporting one of said aluminum plates andextending thence outward through the respective insulators, said rodsconstituting a conducting medium to connect said aluminum plates with analternating current conductor, and a binding post electrically connectedto said receptacle and connectable with a current conductor.

2. In a chemical rectifier, a receptacle having a cover and being mainlyof conducting material and adapted to contain an electrolyte, and to beelectrically connected to a current conductor, a pair of insulatorsextending through the wall of the receptacle, aluminum plates spacedfrom one another within the receptacle, and means extending through saidinsulators to connect said aluminum plates to a source of alternatingcurrent connected to said current conductor, the lower surface of saidcover being formed with annular inwardly inclined ridges.

3. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle adapted tocontain an electrolyte and being made of conducting material, a waterjacket surrounding the walls and bottom of said receptacle, said waterjacket being provided with inlet and outlet openings, a pair ofconductors passing through the opposite walls of said water jacket andsaid receptacle and being insulated therefrom, the outer ends of saidconductors being provided with means for having the wires of an electriccircuit electrically connected thereto, electrodes secured upon theinner ends of said conductors within said receptacle and in electricalcontact with said conductors, and a cover for the upper end of saidreceptacle, the lower surface THOMAS MARTIN LANE.

